Who is looking after your furbaby? How to pick the right pet service…
Over our years of pet care, we have seen many ‘companies’ come and go and this year has been no different. However what we have noticed is a worrying trend in quick buck companies. What we mean by this is those who set up, take on as many clients as quickly as possible and then recruit around those clients.
Companies that have a mass amount of staff do not worry us as we are a small but perfectly formed outfit, we do not need to compete because we offer our own special magic to those clients that choose us. What does worry us though is who is looking after your furbaby. Do you expect a qualified and fully insured service or are you happy with someone who has been recruited via the free ads?
We take our job seriously. We are constantly researching, studying and taking our time to educate ourselves. And yes some days all we do is scoop poop and exercise animals, and it seems a little silly to take an expensive course on welfare or mental stimulation. But we believe we should do our very best; we crave the knowledge, and we use it to take care of your precious companion. We are in it for the long game. Is your sitter? Or are they just earning enough to pay their bills for the month and will be replaced when they get bored? Sadly our insurance isn’t free, and the supermarket won’t sub our dog’s very expensive tastes so we do have to charge, but we aren’t trying to make our millions, we don’t cram in as many visits as physically possible per day. Our aim is to do a good job for your pet and keep him happy and healthy when you can’t.
The three questions we WANT to be asked at our first meet and greet…
- What makes your services better than all the rest?
- What experience do you have?
- Who will provide care for my fur/scaled/feathered kid?
And our answers…
- We can’t say we are the best as we haven’t used other services but we can say we STRIVE to be the best. We are fully insured, qualified in dog training and behaviour to a foundation degree level, we have other smaller certifications (coming to the website very soon). We have excellent customer service skills and most importantly we get to know your pet’s needs. We aren’t afraid to offer advice if we feel a service isn’t fitting your pet’s needs, and we try to build a relationship with both you and your pet. We love long term relationships, not quick service, make a buck one off ‘projects’. We want to be your go-to company when you need pet care.
- Over 12 years experience working with dogs and many more with small animals. Mazzie started her love of animals living with 3 dogs, countless cats, fish, budgies and a tortoise. When they were lost to rainbow bridge, and she wasn’t allowed any furry pets she moved on to stray wildlife, giant African land snails and stick insects (yeah, she was THAT kid at school 😉 ). Until her poor suffering family caved in and a whole array of rodents arrived, followed by a litter of stray kittens and their mum AND dad until finally her dream of owning a dog came true. The house was once again filled with small creatures of all sorts. Now, of course, she owns just dogs due to the oldest dog being a little too over friendly with small furries but one day she hopes to fill the house with small creatures of all types. So when you ask your prospective sitter what experience they have, and they answer ‘I once owned a dog’ ask yourself… is this sitter in it for the long haul?
- So Mazzie is just one person, and life can be complicated, but so far just one person works. We do intend to hire at some point (no holiday in 5 years is a bit of a drag), but we assure you if and when we do there will be stringent checks, and proper experience WILL be necessary. For now, though, you can rest assured that only one carer will be in charge of your baby at Poppy and Pals Pet Care.
So whether your dog needs a walk or your cat needs feeding, your mouse needs company, or your rabbit needs cleaning. We are here, we are qualified, and we are ready but if we aren’t in your area or we aren’t the right fit use our guidelines to make sure you are picking the right pet service for the sake of your furkid and your own peace of mind.
For other pet care providers in Maidstone check out how we compare on the good dog guide
